Caraibes Bonheur Deshaies

Set upon the River Vezere and quite pretty due to its 15th and 16th century Maisons a Tourelles, which looks like miniture castles due to their turrets. The rain had stopped for our little walk around the village but started again when we got back to the car - great timing!

Stayed last night in a pretty little medieval village of Solignac, right on the town square next to the villages 11th century church, which is on the pilgirmage route - Santiago de Compostela. It had rained last night and was still raining so our wander around was brief! Our plan today was to stop at several little villages in the area, of which they got progressively prettier.

... town were preserved by General de Gaulle. He wanted the ruins to be “preserved so that future generations might see, realize, and never forget where such evil folly may lead”. The following is a synopsis of what occurred on that fateful day, as told by one of only 6 survivors, Robert Hebras.

The tragedy which struck Oradour developed in a few short hours. The fact that so few ...

... sunshine, practising my best Gallic shrug, sitting in the shade of the cherry tree and chatting or reading or daydreaming or snoozing or just asorbing the stillness and birdsong, trying to resurrect my school French following 22 years of neglect, devouring my mom's incomparable home-cooking, consuming obscene quantities of tantalisingly pongy cheeses, guzzling ...

... with a handbag. Made more sketchy by the same fellow (obviously a scholar) re-entering the building and leaving with another hand bag and a guitar. I wander where he was going with his two handbags and guitar. . .

We cycled on to find a camping spot. After 5 days of intense cycling in heavy heat with no shower we were forced to sleep in amongst a thick cloud of smell which could quite literally "gag a maggot".

Distance covered: 35 miles cycle and 15 car

So we woke up early for the first time and set off in the blazing sun with high spirits. We were absolutely destroying the miles and there was even talk of getting a record (70+ in a day!!). But then an absoulte disaster occurred. About 15 miles away from a city my rear wheel disintegrated. It would be impossible to walk it. Maybe a hitch from a ...

... just heard it was no longer to be found. I almost choked on it when Nico calmly answer: around 1.000 euro.
Good god, I had just casually swallowed some 500 euro worth of wine. Yes, I know, you don't have to be a genius to work it out.

So it was a nice send off, making me forget about tomorrow, the last day.
I'm going to sleep now, I hope I'll dream of the wine, a taste of honey, a taste of France.

... privacy and let them get on with this ritual; do the decent thing and leave the table.

Next morning I can't wait to check them out. To my astonishment the cup is clean empty, not a trace of an ant.
They have been resurrected! Woken from their drunken stupor, staggered back home by the light of the moon, probably sleeping it off right now.
I am overjoyed. I rush to Peter to smugly inform him of this miracle. He can hardly hide ...

... had found their own comfortable way of moving to the music. No self-consciousness, all very easy and somehow soothing. Like the very old gentleman, composed and straight-backed, solicitously holding his sturdy, resolute wife. She was wearing a woolen cardigan and squeezed into a short skirt with a split at the back, that must have been in fashion in the sixties. Probably specially bought, or made, for occasions just like this. Maybe her husband was remembering her as she was ...

... lots of dolmens etc. We have now moved south of Limoges, to the Perigord Vert, a green, wooded area of rolling hills, cows and not much else. This is another campsite in the grounds of an old chateau. Most of the other people here are Dutch, and getting excited about the football. The weather's not as good as Brittany but ther's still plenty of warm sun, punctuated with clouds and ...